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For efficient use of NAND and NOR Flash memory devices in embedded systems, proper flash management is required. HCC's fail-safe SafeFTL Flash Translation Layer provides a high-performance solution that allows developers to interface to any flash-based media. SafeFTL presents a simple logical sector interface to an application such as a file system and manages the underlying complexity efficiently and safely. Combined with a professional file system, there is a complete solution for almost any media and performance requirement.

Flash management technologies

Enhanced wear leveling

Due to their technical nature, Flash cells have a limited lifetime and can only be erased and programmed a certain number of times before becoming unreliable. That is, they ‘wear out’. Wear leveling algorithms are used to maximize the life of the chip by moving the data between physical blocks to ensure some cells are not overused relative to others. The implemented algorithms can be fine-tuned to match performance requirements.

Error Correction Codes (ECC)

Flash manufacturers define the worst case rate at which wear occurs. Error correction codes are used to ensure the data is always consistent if used within the chip specification. The strength of the required ECC is defined by the worst case bit failure rate.

Bad block management

Flash memory contains blocks that may be defective when the device is new. Also, during operation, data in "good blocks" can be corrupted by charge leakage or disturbance from writes in adjacent parts of the chip. SafeFTL provides management of bad blocks and maps unusable areas to ensure that data is not corrupted.

Read disturb errors

Read disturb errors occur when a read operation on one page causes one or more bits to change in other pages of the same block. Executing many read operations on pages within a block, with no intervening erase of that block, increases the risk of bit errors developing. SafeFTL includes strategies that handle this problem effortlessly.

Fail-safety

Conventional file systems are not fail-safe and often experience difficulties when common problems such as power loss or unexpected resets occur. When SafeFTL is used in a correctly designed system, it guarantees that data is always consistent. To ensure maximum integrity, the underlying media drivers are also designed to provide fail-safe behavior.

Since 2000, HCC has developed premium embedded storage and communications software designed to ensure that any data stored in flash or communicated by an embedded IoT application is secure, safe and reliable.

Most embedded software used to transmit or store embedded data is not developed using recognized quality standards. Most flash file systems cannot ensure reliable, power fail-safe storage. Many network stacks are vulnerable to security risks due to coding errors. HCC storage software ensures that embedded NAND, NOR or SSD always works reliably and predictably, and that communications software is stable and of high quality.

All HCC software components are developed according to our strict framework rules and are independent of RTOS, MCU, hardware, compiler, endianness, and toolchain. All drivers and abstractions are provided, meaning virtually no integration is required. This means you can use your favorite RTOS, but opt for premium middleware to build a more robust system. Supported RTOSes include FreeRTOS, uC-OS, Keil RTX, THREADX and many more.